Monday Morning Mop-Up Duty: a Collapse Trilogy?

The Pirates have lost seven of nine. They are again struggling in August. There’s the whole Sports Illustrated cover jinx going on perhaps.

This sums up the Pirates’ circumstance since 1992 (Getty images)

Is Lucy about to pull the football away again?

No, I don’t think so.

Back away from the ledge. Eighty-two is going to happen, though that seems less important now. I still think the Pirates at least advance to play in the wild card play-in game. Baseball Prospectus has their playoff odds at 97.5 percent. They still have a 7.5 game lead over Arizona, which would be the first team out of the playoff dance if the season ended today.

I don’t think this is a collapse Part III because the pitching and the pitching depth is better (see: Charlie Morton on Sunday).

I don’t think this is the collapse Part III because the defense is legit.

I don’t think this is the collapse Part III because I don’t sense there’s anyone in the clubhouse inching toward the panic button.

But the Pirates are at risk of quickly losing grasp of a division lead. The Pirates’ lead over the Cardinals is down to a single game. The surging Reds are not to be forgotten and are only 2.5 back. And now the Pirates have to travel to the West Coast, which is always a difficult road trip. And, hey, the Giants did win the World Series this year.

I don’t think this is Collapse 3.0. But the Pirates are eroding their margin for error when it comes to contending for a division title. And playing a play-in game on the road, like at Cincy, is hardly ideal.

STARTING NINE

9. – It might be time for the Pirates to get serious about Justin Morneau.

Morneau has made it through waivers unclaimed. The Twins are free to trade their declining, but perhaps still useful, first baseman to any club.

Because of their offensive black hole at the right-side corner positions, one would think the Pirates would be exploring the possibility of adding anyone available, including Morneau, and the $4 million remaining on his contract. Morneau has homered six times in August and is batting .260. He has an .850 OPS in the month, but also a disturbingly low walk rate (2%). He has a .732 OPS on the season.

Still, a scout who spoke to CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler suggets Morneau looks better.“He’s swinging the bat much better than he was,” the scout said. “His body is more lively, too.”

Is his rebound for real? I have my doubts. He’s not the same player he was pre-concussion. But I think he’s worth a flier. He would come at a relatively low cost in terms of prospects.

Neal Huntington said Sunday the club is still seeking a bat. And said the waiver wire has been active.

This is Team B’s offensive resume: 3.90, .246 batting average, .313 on-base, and 117 home runs

Team A: is the Astros.

Team B: is the Pirates.

OK, so I did not adjust for parks and the Astros have the benefit of a DH, but the Astros are fielding essentially a lineup of Triple-A and Quadruple-A players … and Jose Altuve. Can a team advance and succeed in October when it is hitting something like the Astros?

More balance, and perhaps a Morneau, are required. I don’t think Morneau is some sort of savior, but I don’t see any internal options for the Pirates either. (S0rry Andrew Lambo)

8. Not only would Morneau perhaps improve the first base situation where his left-handed swing would play nicely at PNC Park, but he could also help right field by shifting Garret Jones there to full-time duty. Jones is more comfortable in the outfield, it appears, and perhaps a more comfortable defensive player might result in a more productive offensive player.

7. Charlie Manuel was scapegoated by the Phillies this week. The Phillies didn’t have a Manuel problem they had a Ruben Amaro and baseball operations/developmental problem. A system bereft of young talent is their No. 1, No.2 and No. 3 concerns, not Manuel. If Manuel cannot find a managerial job, he would be an outstanding hitting coach somewhere. Before he became a manager in Cleveland, he was a regarded as a standout hitting coach with the Indians. Hitting coaches matter. Look at what George Brett did for Eric Hosmer in Kansas City this year. Look at how Robinson Cano developed under Kevin Long. Manuel will resurface somewhere, I think.

6. Jordy Mercer homered for the first time since June at St. Louis. I’m just not sure Mercer adds enough offensive value to start over Clint Barmes at shortstop, especially with so many groundball pitchers on the staff. Plus, Barmes’ leg-kick adjustment appears to have boosted his power. Barmes, to me, offers the superior package at short. But there is role for Mercer, perhaps playing more 2B against left-handed pitching.

5. This is going to be a tough trip for the Pirates. The good news is the Pirates don’t travel to Coors Field on this road trip, where their brand of small ball is probably not best suited to the thin, mile-high air. Instead, they should welcome the heavy Marine Layer air and large ballparks in San Francisco and San Diego. The Pirates were built to play in such conditions.

4. If the Pirates should play in a playoff series, I get the sense Charlie Morton’s rotation candidacy has enjoyed a significant spike of support. Part of this is due to Jeff Locke’s recent performances, part of it is Morton’s improved consistency and part of it is the uncertainty regarding Wandy Rodriguez.

While a playoff rotation is heavily match-up dependent, this is my playoff rotation in a vacuum if a series started tomorrow: 1. Francisco Liriano, 2. A.J. Burnett, 3. Gerrit Cole, 4. Morton.

(Though I am intrigued with what Cole could do as a bullpen arm. Could he touch 103 mph? in short stints).

3. Is that all for the Andrew Lambo show? He can be recalled 10 days after his demotion. But it appears the Pirates are going to lean more defense and contact-hitting ability in right field.

2. Could Jose Tabata be a wild card? Clint Hurdle said Tabata’s “special” ability is to drive the ball the other way and we saw that with his opposite field home run Friday vs. Arizona. Tabata has never quite put it together but perhaps there is the possibility something clicks down the stretch.

1. Looking for a right fielder? Manny Ramirez is available (released by Texas earlier this week where he was with the Double-A club).

OK, just kidding. Sort of.

STAT THAT ONLY I MIGHT CARE ABOUT: 2

The Pirates have fallen from No. 1 in baseball defensive efficiency to number No. 2, trailing Oakland. The Pirates’ record of converting batted balls into outs has declined a couple percentage points. Meaningless? Perhaps. But might opponents also becoming aware of the Pirates’ extreme defensive shifting tendencies and beginning to use more whole-field approaches? I’m not sure. Just a thought.

MODEST PROPOSAL OF THE WEEK

Make an offer, when he becomes eligible to talk contract, to Cuban defector Jose Abreu. Yes, Yahoo!’s Jeff Passan is reporting the price could be $60 million for the slugger. Yes, the Pirates are not likely going to play ball in that territory. But consider this is a first baseman who some scouts think has more power than Yoenis Cespedes. Look at what Puig has meant to the Dodgers. The Pirates could make a Cespedes-like offer (4y/36 million). Because there’s still a lot of uncertainty involving Cuban players’ performance, perhaps Abreu will be undervalued, like Cespedes and Puig, and perhaps the Pirates can add an impact bat at a need position for 2014 and beyond at below market prices.

HE SAID IT

“We like him. It will be interesting to see where the bidding goes.”

Pirates GM Neal Huntington on Abreu

HE SAID IT II

“It’s not hard. It’s just another game.”

Andrew McCutchen to our Dejan Kovacevic after Sunday’s 16-inning loss to the Diamondbacks.

NON BASEBALL RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK:

Headlands Beach State Park. Mentor, Ohio

If you want to get in a beach trip before summer ends, and you don’t want to drive to the Jersey Shore, I’d recommend the 2.5 hour trip to Headlands Beach, the best Lake Erie has to offer. I believe it’s been named one of the top 10 freshwater beaches in North America. Free parking, grills for use, nice views, a wide beach and a fishing trail that takes you through some natural dunes. It’s not Southern California. But it’s a nice day trip.